Lori and Kolulu
by 9-Tailed-Fox-Demon
Summary: It's a story about what happened before Kolulu's book got burned. I've added some details and changed some things here and there, so it won't be the same idea. It's really hard to explain, so just read and review if you want to.
1. Chapter 1

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_Lori and Kolulu_  
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It was a snowy day. Everyone was doing their last-minute Christmas shopping, because it was four more days until Christmas. They were so busy, coming in and out of malls, carrying dozens of bags, and looking very happy. But, what is this? A little pink-haired girl is on the snow crying for some reason, and everyone is just walking right past her, not seeming to care. They were too busy to even notice.

The girl sees someone walking towards her, about eleven years old, with long black hair and kind eyes. "Hi, little girl. Where are your parents? Did you get lost?" she asked.

The girl says nothing, so she asks, "Would you like to go to my house?" and the girl nodded.

At the extremely nice girl's house, she introduces herself. "My name is Lori, and this is where I live. What's your name?"

"Kolulu," she responds.

"Kolulu. What a nice name. Could you please wait here while I get your hot bath ready?" Lori asks, pulling out a chair for Kolulu.

Kolulu nods.

"I'll be right back," Lori said and disappeared behind a door.

Kolulu was looking around the room and saw a note on the refrigerator that said: 'Lori, we are going to spend a year in California. We left money on the top of your study desk. That will be hopefully be enough for the essentials. Use it wisely, and most importantly of all, stay safe. Love, Mom and Dad'.

_'So Lori's parents are gone on a trip. She's all alone ... Like me.'_ Kolulu thought.

"Kolulu! Your bath is ready. You can come now," said Lori from the bathroom.

Kolulu nervously walked over to the bathroom, where she found a bathtub filled with steaming hot water.

"It's really comforting, especially now in December," Lori said, "I saved my clothes from when I was five. Good thing I did. They are over there in the place where you hang your towels. You can pick whichever one you like. When you finish, come into the kitchen; I'll have some soup ready for you, OK?"

Kolulu nodded, and Lori left the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Kolulu sat on the chair she had in earlier.

"Oh! What great timing. I just finished your soup. Be careful, though. It's very hot," Lori told Kolulu as she sat down next to her.

"Mmm ... This is so good!" Kolulu said.

"Glad you like it."

"I saw that note on the refrigerator. Are your parents really gone for a whole year?" asked Kolulu.

"Yep. It kind of makes you feel lonely. My parents never really did pay much attention to me. They were always so busy. What about your parents?"

"I ... I don't have any."

"What? What do you mean? What happened?" Lori asked, really concerned.

"My parents didn't die. They didn't abandon me, either. They just ..." Kolulu tried to find the right words. "They just aren't here. Actually, right now, I don't have a home."

_'Aren't here? What could she mean?' _Lori decided to ignore that comment. "Well, you could stay here."

"Really? I can? You mean it?"

"Sure. You'll have a home, and I won't be so lonely anymore. It's good for both of us!" Lori replied happily.

"YAY!"

"And, from now on, I'll be your big sister."

Kolulu blinked. "I have a big sister now!" She exclaimed. They were both feeling very happy.

Later that night, Lori was unrolling a sleeping bag and said, "Kolulu, you can sleep here, beside my bed."

"Alright."

She starts searching all around the room, looking very worried, for something, so Lori asks, "What are you looking for? Did you lose something?"

"Do you know where my backpack is?" asks Kolulu.

"Oh, sure. It's right there by the chair."

"Phew! I thought I had lost it."

"Is it really special to you?" Lori asks.

"Well ... Kind of. Yeah, it's 'special' to me. Yaaawn. I'm so tired. What a long day it was, don't you think, Lori?"

Lori was lost in her thoughts about this strange little girl that appeared from nowhere, doesn't have her parents here at the moment, was so sad when she found her in the snow, and be _so_ happy, like nothing ever happened. Like it's a normal day. "Huh? Did you say something? Sorry, I wasn't really paying that much attention. It's just that ... That I'm so tired, I couldn't hear you that well."

Kolulu stared at her strangely. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. Come on. Let's go to sleep." Lori said as she was turning off the lights. "Good night, Kolulu."

"Good night, Lori."

The next morning, Lori said, "Kolulu, I've got to go to school today."

"You have to go to school? B-but it's so cold outside. You can't possibly go to school in this weather. Besides, there's only three more days until Christmas is here!"

"I know, but unless the school calls to tell me it's cancelled, then I have to go."

"What can I do while you're at school hitting your head against the desk trying to figure out a simple problem like what _a_ is in 3_a_ + 4 7?"

---_Flashback---_

**BANG BANG BANG! BANG BANG!**

"Lori, why are you banging your head against your desk?" asks the math teacher.

"I can't figure out what _a_ is in 3_a_ + 4 equals 7... It's too hard!" says Lori, very dazed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you on a test."

"Grrrrrrrrrr..." **BANG!** "Ow!"

_---End Flashback--- _

"I don't do that!" Lori says turning a little red with embarassment. _'I remember I got a zero on that test... But I have to admit that test was hard.'_

"Ok, maybe you don't bang your head on desks, but what can I do while you're at school?"

"Well, you can go to the park."

"It's snowing outside."

"Oh yeah! I forgot. You can ... Watch television."

"Hmm ... Alright," Kolulu said, disappointed. She was hoping she could go to school with Lori.

"Do not go outside or you'll freeze out there.Well, I've got to get going or I'll be late. See you at three fifteen."

"Bye!" said Kolulu, just as Lori closed the door behind her. Then she started talking to herself. "Ok, so I'm going to watch TV from now, six o'clock, to three fifteen. That's one, two, three ... Nine hours and fifteen minutes! I can't watch TV for that long! What was she thinking when she said I could watch TV for nine hours and fifteen minutes? I could turn into a television myself if I stare at the screen for so long. I wonder what else I could do? Maybe there's a book I could read somewhere around here to pass the time. Or a Nintendo DS or Gamecube? A PSP? XBox360? Maybe I could go outside and play in the snow. Oh, what am I thinking? Lori told me not to go outside or I'll freeze to death, and I don't want to disobey her. She did take me in, after all. And she's very kind. I guess I'll just watch television like she told me to ..."

As Kolulu was flipping through the channels, she saw that AFV (America's Funniest Home Videos) was on. She stayed on that channel until three o'clock watching that show, because they were giving a nine-hour marathon.

"Ha ha ha ha! Oh, that was _way_ too funny. Who ever heard of a talking cat? And that was so funny when the kid's sock got stuck in the lady's braces! And when the people were going fishing, a gigatic wave came and everyone in the boat went flying four feet in the air! Mya ha ha ha ha! Oh my goodness, that was the funniest show I have ever seen in my whole entire life! I wonder what time it is?"

She walks over to the clock. "Wow! Three fifteen already? Now, where did the time go? Lori will be home at any second."

At that time, Lori comes home looking very exhausted. "Ohhhh ... What an awful day!"

"Lori, what happened?" Kolulu asked very concerned.

"I had math class the _WHOLE ENTIRE DAY_! It was a nightmare!"

"... That's it? Math class the whole day? It doesn't sound so bad."

"NOT SO BAD? I have twenty-two math problems for homework! Take a look at the worksheet. Its huge!"

Kolulu looked at the worksheet. It looked like:

NAME: Lori DATE:2/22/06 QUARTER:3 

**Practice: Skills  
**_Solving Two-Step Equations  
_**Solve each equation. Use models if necessary. **

**1.** 2_a_ + 4equals 6 **2.** 3_b_ + 4equals 10

**3.** 7 equals 4_c_ - 5 **4.** 3_x_ - 3 equals -6

**5.** 4_y_ - 2 equals -14 **6.** 3 equals 2_g_ +5

**7.** 1 equals2_f_ - 7 **8.** 2 equals3_h_ + 8

**9.** 5_z_ +1 equals16 **10.** 7_m_ - 5 equals 9

**11.** 1 equals8_n_ - 7 **12.** -11 equals 9_s_ + 7

**13.** 4_t_ + 7 equals15 **14.** 4_v_ + 10 equals -6

**15.** 6 equals 2_x_ - 10** 16.** 3_w_ + 5 equals-7

**17.** 2_r_ - 5 equals3 **18.** 5 equals 2_z_ -9

**19.** Fourteen less than four times a number is six. What is the number?

**20.** Two is four more than twice a number. What is the number?

**21.** Nine less than three times a number is zero. What is the number?

**22.** Two is seventeen more than three times what number?

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill **p.454** _Mathematics:_ Applications and Concepts, Course 1

"Huh? This is what you're worried about?" Kolulu asks Lori.

Lori nods sadly.

Astonished, Kolulu says, "Lori! This is so easy a french fry or even a peanut could understand. What grade are you in?"

"Sixth."

"You're in the sixth grade? Then this should be easy for you, considering that you go to a private school and all. I don't even go to school, and I understand it clearly ... Oh! I've got a marvelous idea! Why don't I teach math to you? Come on, it'll be fun! Just the two of us, working on math, me tutoring you. So what do you say?" Kolulu was starting to get very excited about the idea, but it looks like Lori is thinking it over. To convince her, Kolulu starts on the first math problem:

**1.** 2_a_ + 4 equals 6  
...-4 -4  
...2_a_ 2  
...2 2  
..._a_equals1

"Well ... I feel kind of weird about a seven-year-old girl teaching a sixth grader, but you do seem to know what you're doing. And if it helps my math skills, then ... You've got yourself a deal! When should we begin?"

"Yes! We can start right away!"

So Kolulu started tutoring Lori from that moment on, which was pretty weird because who ever heard of a seven-year-old that doesn't even go to school teaching a sixth grader who's been in school since kindergarten? It's very strange ...

_----To Be Continued ... ----_

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_If you find any grammar mistakes or anything like that, you may write a review that says what the error is and I'll change it right away. 


	2. Chapter 2

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Lori and Kolulu  
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**On Christmas Eve at nine in the morning ...**

"Bye, Kolulu! I've got to go to school today!" Lori said with her backpack lighter than usual. _'I hope she doesn't suspect anything unusual, because if she does, my surprise for her will be ruined!'_ she thought.

Kolulu came out of the kitchen and asked, "Why are you going to school today? On Christmas Eve? It says right here on your school calendar that there's no school today. And why does your backpack look so light? You usually go to school with a backpack so heavy not even an ox could carry it. '_Or so you say' ... _And **why** are you going to school at nine in the morning? Normally you're out of here at six."

Lori didn't know what to say, so she just said the first thing that came to mind, "Well, um, the school, they told us yesterday that ... in order to make up for the days lost due to helping the Louisiana people recover from hurricane Katrina, we will have school today, starting at nine thirty."

"Well." Kolulu didn't know whether to accept it as the truth, or consider it a lie. "The Louisiana people DID need a lot of help, and some of them still do ... "

_'Yes, yes, yes. Keep going, you're doing great.' _Lori told herself. "Yep. That's exactly it. Since our school went over to Louisiana for a 'field trip' and lost school days, we are making them up today. OH, look at the time. I don't want to be late. Bye!" She shut the door quickly behind her.

Kolulu was still confused because Lori was acting so different. _'I wonder if something's wrong? I better go get her a gift at Dollar Tree today. After all, tomorrow's Christmas!'_

So Kolulu took a bag that contained five dollars with her and set off to Dollar Tree, where everything is just one dollar.

**Meanwhile ...**

"Mya ha ha ha ha! I can't believe that Kolulu actually bought that lie! Even **I** don't believe it, and I'm the one who told it!" Lori was talking to herself while walking to Dollar Tree, where everything is just one dollar, as you already know. "She probably thinks that I'm in school right now. Ha ha ha! Maybe she thinks that I forgot that tomorrow's Christmas, and that I wasn't going to get her a present. Well, that's what makes it a surprise, right?"

Lori walked further until she got to Dollar Tree. '_Finally, I'm here. Now, what does Kolulu like? Pepper? No,** I **like pepper. Coloring books? Maybe. I'll just get her a few coloring books and a ... box ... of ... colored ... pencils? Huh? Is it just me, or does that girl look an awful lot like Kolulu? ... Eeek! It IS Kolulu! What is SHE doing here? I thought I told her to stay inside. No, wait, that was yesterday. Still, why in the wild world is she here at Dollar Tree? Oh, no! She's coming this way! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? She thinks I'm in school!'_ She looked at the coloring book in her hand and covered her face with it. _'Ha ha ha. She'll never know who I am. I'm a genius! Okay, Lori, act natural.'_

Kolulu walked right past her without even noticing who it was.

_'Phew! That was a close one! Now, back to my shopping.' _Lori thought to herself. She picked out two coloring books, a box of colored pencils, a snow scooper, a butterfly net, a small colored pencil case, and some wrapping paper.

When Lori saw that Kolulu was out of Dollar Tree, she went to make the checkout line. Then she saw a battery and remembered the science experiment she had done at her school, so she went ahead and bought the packet of batteries and some aluminum foil and started walking home.

After an hour of walking, Lori said to herself, "Hey, where did my house go? I'm sure it was around that corner. Where could it have gone? Well, anyways, before I get even more lost, I'll just go back or get a map at the train station over there ... Train station? I don't remember ther being a train station where I live. Great, I am now one hundred percent lost."

She was looking around the area when she found a fortune teller's tent. She said to herself, "Maybe the fortune teller in that tent over there will tell me if I'll ever get home, since I'm so lost," and went inside the tent.

Inside of the tent, there were purple, red, and white drapes made of silk almost everywhere and a medium-sized desk in the middle of the room with cards and a crystal ball on top of it. In front of that desk was a wooden chair painted in purple, red and white swirls. Behind the desk was a comfy computer chair, and there were a few holes in the ceiling as if someone had thrown a fire ball into the air and accidentally burnt the ceiling, but that was it. The tent looked much bigger on the outside than it did on the inside, and the only light came from the holes in the ceiling.

Lori was starting to have second thoughts about whether she shoul've come into this mysterious tent or not.

She looked around and saw nobody there, so she started to leave, but as she was leaving she heard something that sounded like exploding fireworks inside the tent, so she instinctively turned around.

Surpirsed and scared at the same time, Lori thought, _'So those things **were** fireworks, but how can you get fireworks into a tent and not burn it completely to the ground?'_

After the smoke had cleared up a bit, Lori could see that there were two people there, one sitting in the chair and the other standing up beside him.

When the smoke had completely went away, the 'person' sitting in the chair said to Lori, "Hello, Lori. I was expecting you. Please, sit down and put your bags down. You may not know who I am, but I certainly know who you are."

Lori was frightened by this person's appearance, and the fact that he knew her name made her even more scared, but she obeyed and sat in the wooden chair and put her bags down. Then, out of pure curiosity, asked, "How did you know my name? Who are you? **What** are you?"

The fortune teller ignored her first question and said, "My name is Zofis and this is my assisstant, Koko. She reads all the magic spells from the magic book. I am a fortune teller."

Lori was relieved to hear this, and said, "Really? Wow, that's a relief ... Oh, yeah! I had forgotten I entered a fortune teller's tent, and then when I saw you, I thought you were going to, um ... I don't know. I just thought you had bad intentions."

Zofis laughed to himself. _'Wow, this girl is so dumb. I knew her name because it says it right there on her school uniform. Ha ha ha. Of course I have bad intentions! ... I sense this girl has a mamodo, but I don't think she knows it. If she did know she would have her mamodo and spell book with her at all times. Well, it really doesn't matter if I get to burn her mamodo's book or not today. We'll get to fight each other another day ... if they survive, that is. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.'_

He told Lori, "Oh, no, dear, I don't have bad intentions. I'm just here to read you your fortune, if you want. Or to answer any questions about your future, if you have any.

Lori wasn't so sure about this, but she really wanted to get home to Kolulu before she starts to get suspicious and worried. "Well, actually, I wanted to know if I'm ever going to make it home again."

"That's it?"

Lori nodded.

"... A simple question. Alright." Zofis put his hand in the air. "Say the magic word, Koko."

Koko opened the spell book and said, "Radom!"

A big fire ball shot out from Zofis' hand and made a hole in the ceiling. Shortly after that his body started glowing a shadowy purple. Lori was really scared and amazed at the awesome sight. _'At least now I know how those holes in the ceiling were made.'_

When the act was over, Zofis said, "The stars tell me, 'Pick a path and follow it to the end. That will lead you home.' I know it doesn't make much sence, but you have to find out what it means by yourself. It could mean nothing ... But, it could also mean everything."

Lori was amazed at Zofis' magic act. "How did you do that?"

"Ha, ha. A magician never tells anyone how he did his tricks."

"Uh, but I thought you were a fortune teller."

"Fortune teller, magician, same thing. Hey, isn't it time for you to get back home?"

Lori had forgotten all about home, and said, "Huh? Home? What home? ... Oh! Yes! I have to get back home before Kolulu gets worried or suspicious! Thanks for reminding me!" Then she left the tent.

After she had left, Zofis told Koko, "Ah, her mamodo is Kolulu. She is a foolish mamodo. She does not want to fight the battle to be king of the mamodo world."

"Why?" Koko asked her own mamodo.

"I don't know. I just can't figure out why someone wouldn't want that much power. All mamodo that come to earth must want to be king."

"Then why did she come to fight if she doesn't want to?"

"Because she was given another personality that loves to fight. That power-hungry side of her comes out only when a spell is read. Still, her chances she will get far enough to battle me are very slim. And even if she does get that far, she will never beat me."

"Yes, Zofis. I know that you will be king."

**_TO BE CONTINUED ..._**

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I'm really sorry for not updating the story in such a long time. I was grounded so I wasn't allowed to even look at the computer until now. I get grounded from 1 to 5 months a lot, so don't expect a chapter every week, ok? I'm still very sorry for making everyone wait this long. Oh, yeah. Some of you were saying that Lori and Kolulu's grade level and ages are wrong. I know. I just changed that part to make the story a little bit more ... interesting. Ha, ha. I made Zofis a fortune teller. But he kind of looks like one, doesn't he? If you want to review, you can, but you don't have to, just if you want to. 


	3. Chapter 3

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_Lori and Kolulu  
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When Lori got home--- at one thirty--- Kolulu asked Lori, "Why are you home so early from school?"

Not knowing what to say, Lori pretended she didn't hear. "What?" she asked, stalling for time.

"Why are you home so early from school?" Kolulu repeated.

"Well, because ... Because ... Because ..."

Kolulu started tapping her foot patiently and smiling to herself. "I'm waiting."

"Actually," Lori started to say.

"I knew it. You went to Dollar Tree, didn't you?"

"Well, yes. Hey, are you psychic or something? I never told you I was going to Dollar Tree. I told you I was going to school. How did you know where I went?" Lori thought for a moment before asking, "Were you spying on me? Because, since there was no other way you could know ..."

"Ha, ha. You're right. I followed you. FOLLOWED you, not SPIED on you. There's a big difference between the two."

"How could you?" Lori was offended by Kolulu not believing her.

"Well, it just didn't seem right to me that there would be school on Christmas Eve. Isn't that the time when everyone does their LAST last Christmas shopping? Like you?"

"And you."

**There's a long silence...**

_Ding Dong!_

"Now, who could that be, knocking on the door at one fourty-eight in the afternoon?" Lori asked herself out loud. _'And in the snow, too,'_ she thought.

Lori, followed by Kolulu close behind, opened the door.

Suddenly, Kolulu screamed out, "Hey, Tia! Remember me? It's Kolulu, your second best friend! Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my partner Megumi to sing a Christmas Carol, the Thirteen Days of Christmas, our specialty," Tia responded.

"Huh? I thought there were only twelve days of Christmas?"

Very confused, Lori said, "I thought there was only ONE day of Christmas--- tomorrow. Do you guys know each other?"

Kolulu looked up at Lori and said, "Well, yeah. We used to be friends in ... Cuba."

Now, Tia was just as confused as Lori. "What? Cuba? We weren't friends in Cuba. Actually, we never went to Cuba. What is Cuba? Where is Cuba? Who is Cuba? When is Cuba? Why is Cuba? How is Cuba?"

Megumi put a hand on Tia's head and said, "Now, Tia. Stop acting like a maniac in front of your friend and her partner. Some of those questions didn't even make sense."

"Partner?" Lori asked, more confused than ever before.

Now calmed down, and surprised, Tia asked Kolulu, "You mean you haven't told your partner that you're a mamodo? Have you showed her your spell book yet?"

Kolulu started getting nervous, but said nothing.

"Partner? Mamodo? Spell book? Ugh ... I think I'm getting a headache. Either that, or theres a bug eating my brain. Maybe I'm getting a confusion fever ..."

Megumi looked at Lori closely and put a hand on her forehead and told her, it doesn't appear that you're getting a fever ..." Then to Tia she said, "Can we just sing the Thirteen Days of Christmas? I don't think your friend likes it that we're confusing her partner. Besides, don't you want to sing our specialty to these nice people?"

"Alright." Tia decided to settle that argument later.

Both Tia and Megumi took a deep breath, getting ready for the song, but were interrupted be Lori saying, "Hey, now I remember who you are. I thought you looked familiar. You're Megumi, everyone's idol. Shouldn't you be practicing for your new film, _When Everyone Joins Forces_, instead of wasting your time singing to normal and unfamous people like us?"

"Actually, yes, I should be, but I want to make my fans know that I care and am willing to sing Christmas Carols for them at their own doorstep. This is a non-profit organization," Megumi said with a smile. "Okay, Tia, are you ready to sing now?"

"Yeah!" And they sang the Thirteen Days of Christmas:

_"On the first day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the second day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the third day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the fourth day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face. _

_"On the fifth day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: five venomous snakes, four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the sixth day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: six charging rhinos, five venomous snakes, four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the seventh day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: seven bows and arrows, six charging rhinos, five venomous snakes, four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the eighth day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: eight broken iPods, seven bows and arrows, six charging rhinos, five venomous snakes, four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the ninth day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: nine evil grandmas, eight broken iPods, seven bows and arrows, six charging rhinos, five venomous snakes, four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the tenth day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: ten haunted houses, nine evil grandmas, eight broken iPods, seven bows and arrows, six charging rhinos, five venomous snakes, four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scray ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the eleventh day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: eleven disgusting insects, ten haunted houses, nine evil grandmas, eight broken iPods, seven bows and arrows, six charging rhinos, five venomous snakes, four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the twelvth day of Christmas, my enemy gave to me: twelve screaming children, eleven disgusting insects, ten haunted houses, nine evil grandmas, eight broken iPods, seven bows and arrows, six charging rhinos, five venomous snakes, four rats with rabies, three infestations, two scary ghosts, and a bomb that exploded in my face._

_"On the thirteenth day of Christmas, do you know what happened to me? I died ..." _

Then Tia fake-fainted to the left, and Megumi fake-fainted to the right.

Lori and Kolulu were with their jaws dropped all the way down to the floor in surprise.

"Hey, Kolulu," Lori whispered, "I don't think Megumi will show her fans she cares with a song like THAT."

Then Megumi and Tia stood up and brushed off the snow.

"So how did you like our song?" Tia asked Kolulu.

"It was pretty good, actually." Kolulu responded.

"Yeah." Tia sighed. "But I think it could've gone better."

"What do you mean?" Megumi asked.

"You DO remember that we were both supposed to fake-faint in the same direction, right?" Megumi nodded. "Well, that direction was to the left."

"What? You've clearly forgotten that we practiced fake-fainting to the right!"

"And another thing, we were supposed to rise from the fake-faint after four seconds. You rose after five."

"No. We were SUPPOSED to rise after five seconds, remember?" Megumi argued.

"We were also supposed to stay still during the fake-faint, and with our eyes closed the whole entire time. But I saw you blink after two seconds."

"Then if you SAW me blink, then I guess you had your eyes OPENED, and we were supposed to have our eyes CLOSED!"

"Also, were supposed to sing the last part of the song, _I died ..._, in a lower note than the rest of the song!"

"Pfft, yeah, right. We practiced singing it in a higher note than the rest of the song to provide emphasis!"

By this time, Lori had closed the door because she didn't want to hear Megumi and Tia's arguing any longer.

Suddenly, they heard Tia shout, "I KNEW IT! IT WAS FAKE-FAINTING TO THE LEFT!"

_'I hope she forgets what Tia said about the partner, spell book, and mamodo. I don't want her to get hurt.'_ Kolulu thought.

"So, Kolulu, what was that thing you wanted to tell me?" Lori asked.

"Huh? What thing?" Kolulu asked, confused.

"You know, that thing your friend, what was her name? Tia?" Kolulu nodded and Lori started all over again. "You know, that thing Tia said about the partner, spell book, and mamodo? She said 'You mean you haven't told your partner that you're a mamodo? Have you showed her your spell book yet?' That's the thing I'm talking about."

Kolulu started getting nervous. _'Oh, no! She remembered! Oh, great, what am I going to do now? This stinks ...' _

**TO BE CONTINUED ...

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**

I'm really sorry not updating the story in a long time ... again ... But thankfully, this time I didn't get grounded. My computer broke, which is much worse. I tried to put chapter three in the story about a week ago, but the computer just kept on freezing. Even though it's broken, I'll still try to update the story quickly (that sounds impossible to me). 


	4. Chapter 4

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_Lori and Kolulu  
_---------------------------------

_'Oh, what am I going to do? I can't just tell her that I'm a mamodo, because I don't want her to get involved in any of this,'_ Kolulu thought to herself. '_What should I do? ... Hey, I'm hungry. Maybe I'll refresh my mind after I've had something to eat. Or I could ... Yeah! That's what I'll do!' _"Lori, I'm going to the kitchen to get a bite to eat."

"But what about my question?"

"I'll answer it later," Kolulu said nervously.

Lori was a little confused about the way her 'little sister' was behaving. "Was it something I said that got her all worried?" she thought out loud.

Meanwhile, Kolulu was coming out of the kitchen very slowly and quietly with a frying pan in her hand. She snuck up behind Lori and thought, _'Lori, I'm sorry, but it's for the best,'_ then **_BANG!_** Kolulu hit Lori on the head with all of her might.

"Whoa, what was that?" Lori said a little dizzy. "I think I need to lay down for a while." Then, led by Kolulu, she went to her room and slowly went to sleep.

Kolulu closed the door to the room they both shared and let out a big sigh of relief. "That was so close! I actually thought I had to tell her what I really am, for a moment! Good thing I'm a fast thinker, but I don't know if I hit her too hard with the frying pan. I really hope not."

**Four hours later ...**

Lori got out of bed and looked at the clock, which read 5:51, and said, "Yes! I finally woke up before the alarm rang! Hey, Kolulu, wake up, this is great! I-- Kolulu? Where are you?"

From seemingly out of nowhere, Kolulu shouted, "I'm in the living room!"

"Kolulu, I woke up before the alarm on my clock rang, isn't that great? The clock said it was 5:51, and the alarm rings at 6:10!" Lori said, all excited.

"I don't mean to dissapoint you, but it isn't 5:51 in the morning, it's 5:51 in the afternoon. And it's not tomorrow yet."

Lori was speechless.

"Sorry ..."

Lori was now thinking that she'll never get over her disappointment, but then she remembered the 'crazy dream' she had. "Kolulu! I just remembered, I had the craziest dream ever! Want to hear it?"

"Sure."

"Okay, so I had just finished waking up at one fourty-eight, kind of weird, right? When the front door rang. When I opened the door, guess who was there."

"Your parents?" Kolulu guessed wrong on purpose, because she didn't want to tell Lori that it wasn't a dream, but that it had actually happened.

"Nope. It was Megumi!"

"No way!" Kolulu said sarcastically.

"Yes way! And she was with her, partner, was it? Yeah, her partner, and then they both started singing this outrageously weird song called the Thirteen Days of Christmas. It was weird, I tell you. Then they started fighting because they thought the song had come out bad. Then... Then I woke up, I think. I know it's a little hard to believe, but in dreams, anything is possible, right?"

"Oh, I believe you, all right," Kolulu said.

"Wait! I just remembered! I have to go wrap the presents I got you! While I go wrap your presents for tomorrow, you go do whatever it is you do while I'm at school, okay?"

"Okay," Kolulu said as she went to her room, but then, she remembered something important: the Christmas tree. "Lori! We don't have a Christmas tree! Where are we going to put all our presents under? And where's Santa going to put all our presents? We don't even have huge stockings!"

"You're right! Santa is going to need a place to put all of our presents. I've been extra good this year," Lori said with a smile, because she still believed in Santa. You'd think she wouldn't, because she's eleven, but in Lori World, anything can happen, just like in dreams. "Kolulu! I've got a very important job for you! Go to a store, any store, that sells Christmas trees, and buy the first good tree you that see. Wait, trees cost a lot of money, so just forget that idea. New job: Go outside with my dad's axe, it's in the hall closet, and chop down a medium-sized tree. Oh, but a little seven year old girl cant use an axe ... Hm ... Oh! I know! Use my extra sharp cloth cutting scissors! On second thought, use my old scissors that cut paper but not skin, and get some duck tape,just in case the scissors try to fly out of your hands and hurt you. The supplies are inside one of the cabinets in the kitchen."

"Which cabinet? Your kitchen has more than a dozen cabinets! And why would scissors try to fly out of my hands?"

Lori thought for a while before saying, "It's a long story... And I don't remember which cabinet. Just check in all of them."

"But there's a ton of stuff in each of them! How am I supposed to find a pair of scissors and some tape in more than a dozen cabinets which are filled with more things than just food? Once I saw a rat coming out of one! And I'm scared of rats! They're ugly!"

"No they're not, they're cute. Just go find the scissors and the tape while I go wrap your presents."

"But ... Okay," Kolulu agreed reluctantly. When she was in the kitchen, she thought out loud, "Who thinks rats are cute? And who puts them in cabinets? And why would scissors want to hurt people? I don't even want to know what she did to them. I just have to find the evil scissors and duck tape, and get out. I hope I come out alive."

Meanwhile, Lori was looking everywhere for Kolulu's presents. "Where could they be? What did I do with them? Okay, first, I went to Dollar Tree and bought two coloring books, a box of colored pencils, a snow scooper, a butterfly net, a small colored pencil case, wrapping paper, a packet of batteries, and aluminum foil. Then I got lost and went to the tent of Zofis, the fortune teller, put my bags on the floor, then when I left ... When I left, I forgot to pick up the bags! Oh, no! This is just great! Now what am I going to get her? I know she expects at least one present from me, and a ton from Santa, but when she goes to the tree and sees that I forgot to get her a present, what will she say? Oh, I know what she'll say: 'Lori, why didn't you get your little sister a present?' And then she'll run off to her room crying and lock the door. Or maybe she'll say: 'Lori, it doesn't matter. You didn't have to buy me a present if you didn't want to waste your parents' money. I understand.' But still, I don't want to take that chance. I better find something good for her soon."

Then Lori heard a little scratch at the door. "What was that?" She slowly opened the door and hoped for the best, but no one was there. When she was about to close the door, she heard a soft meowing sound and looked down. "A kitty! How cute! What are you doing out in the snow all alone, little one? You need a warm home with a family to love and care for you."

The black and white kitten meowed, and Lori picked it up and brought it inside. "You know, I should get you a can of moist chicken and tuna flavored cat food. You do like that flavor, don't you?"

Lori waited for an answer, but the kitten just kept on staring at her with a blank look. "I'll take that as a yes. _'Besides, it's the only flavor I've got.'_ Okay, you just stay here while I go get you the food."

At the kitchen, Kolulu was balancing on a chair that was on top of a stool that was on top of a box of Fruit Loops. She slowly and carefully opened the last cabinet, hoping to find the supplies and at the same time ready to attack a rat, when Lori came in unexpectedly and tapped her shoulder.

"Yikes!" Kolulu jumped up three feet in the air and hit her head on the ceiling, making a huge hole in it. When she tried to balance herself on the chair, the stool decided to crunch down on the fruit loops, making poor Kolulu slip and fall on the floor face-first.

"Oh, my. Kolulu, are you okay?" Lori asked.

Rubbing her head, Kolulu answered, "Yeah, I think so."

"What were you doing up there? Didn't you know you could've gotten hurt. Actually, you did get hurt."

"I'm sorry. I was just looking for the scissors and tape you asked me to get. I'm too short to reach the cabinets from here, so I had to balance on three things so I'd be tall enough. That was going to be the final cabinet left to check in."

"The last cabinet? Wow, it took you five minutes to check in all of them? It took me nearly a week when I was your age. And I just remembered where the supplies are: the supply closet."

"The supply closet. Oh, why couldn't you have remembered four minutes ago, before a rat growled at me and that awful snake almost bit me?" Kolulu whined.

"My parents always said: 'Stop whining. If you do it too much, you're going to get drunk.' Just go get the tape and scissors so you can cut down our Christmas tree, okay?"

"Okay."

When Kolulu was out of the kitchen, Lori opened the refrigerator door and got a can of moist chicken and tuna flavored cat food, and brought it back to the kitten.

As Lori watched the kitten eat so eagerly, she thought, _'You will be my present to Kolulu this Christmas.'_

**TO BE CONTINUED ...

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Ha ha, this story is getting wierd. I couldn't update until now because me computer had a virus. I tried to destroy the virus, but the more I tried to help, the worse the problem got. I guess that explainswhy my parents never let me help when there's a problem ... 


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